Formation of the Islamic Empires; The Ottomans (753-759)

The Ottoman Empire: (Jv start)
Osman: The term Ottoman derived from Osman Bey.

He was the founder of the dynasty.
- The dynasty continued in unbroken succession from 1289 until 1923. (DH)
Osman was cheif (bey) of a band of seminomadic Turks who migrated to nw Anatolia in the 13th century.
Osman and his followers sought above all to become ghazi, Muslim religious warriors.

Ottoman Expansion: The Ottomans' location on the borders of the Byzantine empire afforded them ample opportunity to wage holy war. (DH)

First great success came from the capture of the Anatolian city of Bursa.
- Bursa became the Ottoman capital.
Around 1352 the Ottomans' seized the fortress of Gallipoli while aiding a claimant to the Byzantine throne.
- Many people flocked to join the Ottomans.
- The city of Edirne became a second Ottoman capital.
  - It served a base for further expansion into the Balkans.
As the warriors expanded it brought wealth to the ghazi and the central government.
Bursa became a major commercial and intellectual center.
- It help inns, shops, schools, libraries, and mosques.
Military had 2 forces:
- A light cavalry
- And voluntary infantries.
- Once the Ottoman state became more firmly established, they added a professional cavalry forced. (DH)
  - They were equipped with heavy armor and financed by land grants.
Devshirme: The Ottomans required the Christian population of the Balkans to contribute young boys to be slaves of the Sultan.
- According to the individual ability, the boys either entered civilian administration or the military.
  - Those who entered the military were know as Janissaries, from the Turkish yeni cheri ("new troops").
- The boys learned Turkish, received special training, and converted to Islam. (DH)(Jv End)

Captured Constantinople in 1453, became known as Istanbul
Ruler of the two lands (Europe and Asia) and the two seas (Black Sea and Mediterranean)
Ruled with an absolute monarchy with an army that had no serious rival
Lead the conquest of Serbia, moved on to Greece and Albania, disposed of the last of the Byzantine outpost of Trebizond, took control of Genoese ports in the Crimea, started a war with Venice in the Mediterranean, and wanted to cross the Straits of Otranto-march on Rome-and capture the Pope
He occupied Otranto briefly, but soon died and his successors did not continue his plans for expansion into Europe

Known for his vigorous expansion of the Ottoman empire
1534 conquered Baghdad and added the Tigris and Euphrates valleys
1521 captured Belgrade
1526 killed the king of Hungary in the battle of Mohacs, and tightened his power north of the Danube
1529 conducted a brief, terrifying siege on Habsburgs' city of Vienna
Aegean and Black Sea fleets
Acquired the navy of the Mamluk rulers of Egypt
Khayr al-Din Barbossa Pasha (Turkish corsair) put fleet under the Ottoman flag and became the leading admiral
With these huge amounts of vessels the Ottoman's were able to seize the island of Rhodes from the Knights of St. John, besieged Malta, secured Aden, and attacked a Portuguese fleet at Diu in India

The Safavids were Turkish conquerors of Persia and Mesopotamia
- Founder Shah Ismail (reigned 1501-1524) claimed ancient Persian title of shah.
- Proclaimed Twelver Shiism the official religion; imposed it on Sunni population
- Followers known as qizilbash (or "Red Hats")
Twelver Shiism
- Traced origins to twelve ancient Shiite imams
- Ismail believed to be the twelfth, or "hidden," imam, or even an incarnation of Allah
Battle of Chaldiran (1514)
- Sunni Ottomans persecuted Shiites within Ottoman empire
- Qizilbash considered firearms to be unmanly and were crushed by Ottomans at Chadiran
Shah Abbas the Great who reigned 1588-1629 revitalized the Safavid empire
- He modernized military; sought European alliances against Ottomans
- new capital at Isfahan; centralized administration